Help for young cancer patients

New network for young women with cancer

08/28/2014

Help for self-help is the leitmotif of the „Women self-help after cancer“. Because „Self-help is particularly important in the health sector if a life-threatening situation arises for which the health care system provides only insufficient care“, reports the initiative sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Health.

The „Women self-help after cancer“ supports, according to its own information, people with cancer and other affected persons in recognizing and using their own resources. „We offer our varied experiences as help and orientation to overcome fears and to enable self-help“, explains the initiative on its website. With a new network wants the „Women self-help after cancer“ especially to young women with cancer. The new offer will be presented at the Bundestagung der „Women self-help after cancer“ from the 29th to the 31st of August in Magdeburg. More than 500 stakeholders from all over Germany as well as experts from science and research are expected at the annual conference of the aid organization.

Federal Ministry of Health promotes the network for young cancer patients
The construction of the new network of „Women self-help after cancer“ will be announced by the news agency „dpa“ initially funded with 10,000 euros and as needed with further sums in the next two years by the Federal Ministry of Health. By the end of October, an online survey should determine which offers are needed by approximately the estimated 10,000 women under the age of 35 who suffer from cancer each year. In the three-year project, an exchange between those concerned should then be encouraged. In addition, according to the information of „dpa“ an information library with secured information specially planned for the young women. Similar networks have been created in the past for women with hereditary breast cancer and for men with breast cancer.

Special difficulties of young cancer patients
„So far, there are no special offers for young cancer patients in Germany“, quotes the news agency „dpa“ the federal chairman of the „Women self-help after cancer“, Karin Meissler. Of course, the younger patients have different needs than 50- or 60-year-old sufferers. For example, some would still wish to have offspring or others would have small children themselves. The financial and legal protection of the young cancer patients, who are often still in training or at the beginning of their professional lives, is often worse than with the older cancer patients.

At the annual meeting of the „Women self-help after cancer“ Next weekend, according to the announcement of the initiative, in addition to the new offer for young cancer patients in particular „psycho-oncological topics“ a focus. „There will also be presentations on current medical research and specific aspects of self-help work that may be helpful in group work“, reports the „Women self-help after cancer“. (Fp)